At the start of the 73rd Four Hills Tournament, the eyes are primarily on Pius Paschke. The top athlete of the German Ski Association (DSV) is considered the best hope for the Adler’s first victory since Sven Hannawald’s triumph 23 years ago. Thanks to the strong last few weeks, the 34-year-old is heading to Oberstdorf with a tailwind, where the first of four competitions will take place.
“I want to take the good drive of the last few weeks with me into the tour,” said Pius Paschke before the start in Oberstdorf: “The confidence is right, and I know which technical details I have to work on.”
It starts on Saturday (4:30 p.m.) with the qualification, and on Sunday (4:30 p.m.) the current overall World Cup leader will fight for his first points.
What is encouraging: “On last year’s tour I not only achieved the best individual results, but also gained very valuable experience because I had found the right attitude. It was a mixture of concentration and fun on the hill.”
Last year, Paschke took 20th place in the final rankings and was therefore the fourth best DSV eagle at the Four Hills Tournament. While Andreas Wellinger fought for victory for a long time and ended up second, Philipp Raimund and Karl Geiger ended up in eleventh and 14th place.
The former national ski jumping coach Werner Schuster now even believes that Pius Paschke can win. “No question – of course he can do it. If someone is leading in the overall World Cup, then the level is there,” the Austrian told the “SID”.
Former national coach Schuster doesn’t believe in Kobayashi
Schuster looked after the DSV Adler from 2008 to 2019 and also accompanied Paschke. “It’s an admirable story. We recognized during my time as national coach that there were a few things lying dormant in him. He had good prerequisites even as a young jumper. Now these are coming to light,” said the 55-year-old, who is with on tour as a “Eurosport” expert.
Experienced Paschke has already celebrated five victories this season, but the jumpers from Austria dominated the dress rehearsal in Engelberg.
In Schuster’s opinion, last year’s winner Ryoyu Kobayashi, who hasn’t yet gotten going this winter, has little chance. “Maybe he fell into a magic potion at Christmas and I’m in trouble. But that would be a miracle,” he said.
